RBC is recognized as one of Canada's Best Diversity Employers for 2014

TORONTO, February 10, 2014 - RBC has been selected as one of Canada's "Best Diversity Employers" by Mediacorp Canada Inc. in its annual survey of Canadian businesses. RBC is being recognized for its exceptional initiatives to attract, develop and retain a diversity of employees.

Now entering its eighth year, the Canada's Best Diversity Employers competition recognizes the nation's leading organizations when it comes to creating inclusive workplaces
for employees from five diverse groups: women; visible minorities; persons with disabilities; Aboriginal peoples; and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) peoples. Employers are selected by the editorial team at the Canada's Top 100 Employers project, which manages the competition.

Diversity is a cornerstone of what RBC stands for and goes well beyond basic definitions and simply respecting differences and meeting employment and regulatory requirements. RBC's framework includes fostering inclusion and leveraging diversity of thought and the principles of human equity.

"We have a diverse workforce and when we create opportunities for everybody to contribute and achieve their full potential we all win - our employees, our clients, our communities and our shareholders. That's why we say having diversity is interesting, doing something with it is powerful," said Zabeen Hirji, chief human resources officer, RBC. "We are proud to be recognized for our progress and achievements but also know this is a journey and there is still more to do."

Addressing Unconscious Bias is really the next frontier in RBC's Diversity and Inclusion framework. Research conducted by Harvard University professor Dr. Mahzarin Banaji and her colleagues reveals that unconscious preferences are common, and exist in all of us - creating barriers, limiting creativity and affecting the quality of relationships we have with people around us. RBC will continue to explore this complex and sometimes difficult topic with our leaders, employees and community partners in 2014 and beyond.

This year's winners are being announced today in a special editorial supplement in The Globe and Mail.

For the full list of Canada's Best Diversity Employers for 2014 and the editors' detailed reasons for selecting each winner, visit: www.canadasTop100.com/diversity.

Other recognitions that RBC has received for its industry-best practices in the past year include:

Canada's "Top 100 Employers" by Mediacorp Canada Inc.

Best Workplaces in Canada" by the Great Place to Work® Institute Canada

Best Place to Work for LGBT Equality" by the Human Rights Campaign

About RBC
Royal Bank of Canada (RY on TSX and NYSE) is Canada's largest bank and one of the largest banks in the world, based on market capitalization. We are one of North America's leading diversified financial services companies, and provide personal and commercial banking, wealth management services, insurance, investor services and capital markets products and services on a global basis. We employ approximately 79,000 full- and part-time employees who serve more than 15 million personal, business, public sector and institutional clients through offices in Canada, the U.S. and 44 other countries. For more information, please visit rbc.com.

RBC supports a broad range of community initiatives through donations, sponsorships and employee volunteer activities. In 2012, we contributed more than $95 million to causes worldwide, including donations and community investments of more than $64 million and $31 million in sponsorships.